Anna Sawai

2.1. Start in Japan (2004-2018)

Sawai made her acting debut at the age of 11 in 2004, starring as the titular character in a Tokyo stage production of the musical Annie. She was selected for the role from an audition pool of 10,000 applicants, and the performance was simultaneously broadcast on Nippon Television. In December 2006, Sawai successfully auditioned for the entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc., which led to a management contract and intensive training at their in-house music and dance bootcamp.

Following her stage debut, Sawai continued to pursue acting with a minor role in the Japanese television drama Our Love Song in 2007. In 2009, she made her Hollywood feature film debut in a supporting role in James McTeigue's martial arts film Ninja Assassin, where she portrayed Kiriko, a rebellious young ninja who attempts to escape from the Ozunu clan.

While attending Sophia University, Sawai signed with the Avex Trax record label. In March 2012, she performed the United States national anthem at the Tokyo Dome to mark the beginning of the 2012 Major League Baseball season. A month later, Sawai was introduced as a member of the girl group ARA, an acronym for Avex Rising Angels. The group released their sole music video, "Make My Dreams Come True," in November of that year before disbanding in early 2013.

In July 2013, Avex announced that Sawai would re-debut as one of the lead vocalists for the girl group Faky under the Rhythm Zone record label. She served as the group's leader and they officially debuted with the single "Better Without You" on July 29, 2013.

During her tenure with Faky, Sawai engaged in several solo projects. In October 2015, she was the lead actress in Elliott Yamin's music video for his song "Katy." She was also a featured artist alongside fellow Faky bandmate Akina on Yamato's debut single "Shining," released on April 26, 2017. Later that year, Sawai provided the voice for Angélique Noir in the 2017 fashion simulation video game Style Savvy: Styling Star (North American and PAL versions) and performed the game's main theme song, "Girls Be Ambitious." In 2018, she returned to acting with a supporting role in the coming-of-age mystery series Colors, appearing in two episodes. In May 2018, she performed as a dancer in a limited-run stage production of The Book, directed by Fuko Takenaka.

On November 16, 2018, Faky announced Sawai's departure from the group, citing her desire to focus entirely on her acting career. She performed with Faky for the final time on December 20 as part of their "Four" headline tour.

2.2. International Activities and Major Works

Sawai's acting career took a significant turn towards international projects after her departure from Faky. In 2019, she gained a notable role as Eiko, the daughter of a Yakuza boss, in the British crime thriller series Giri/Haji. The series premiered on BBC Two in October to critical acclaim.

In the same year, Sawai was cast as Elle, a martial arts warrior, in F9, the ninth installment in the highly successful Fast & Furious franchise, directed by Justin Lin. Following her casting announcement, Sawai signed with WME, a major American talent and media agency. Filming for F9 took place between June and November 2019, and the movie was released on May 19, 2021, achieving a worldwide gross of 726.00 M USD, setting several pandemic-era box office records despite receiving mixed reviews.

Beginning in 2022, Sawai took on the main role of Naomi in the Apple TV+ adaptation of Pachinko, a drama series based on the acclaimed novel by Min Jin Lee. Naomi is an original character created specifically for the television series. The show debuted on March 25, 2022, to widespread critical acclaim and was renewed for a second season the following month. The ensemble cast of Pachinko was recognized with an Independent Spirit Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series. In June 2022, Sawai was cast as Cate Randa, the lead role in Legendary's MonsterVerse television series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. This series, a spin-off of the 2014 film Godzilla, premiered on Apple TV+ on November 17, 2023, and received positive critical reception.

2.3. Shōgun (2024) and Critical Success

In September 2021, Anna Sawai was cast in the pivotal role of Lady Mariko in the FX limited series Shōgun, based on the celebrated novel by James Clavell. The series, co-starring Hiroyuki Sanada, premiered in February 2024, and Sawai's performance garnered significant critical acclaim.

Critics lauded her portrayal, with The New York Times describing her as "thoroughly convincing and captivating as Mariko." Rolling Stone noted that Sawai "speaks volumes with every pained look on Mariko's face," highlighting her nuanced performance. RogerEbert.com hailed her performance as "revelatory," while Entertainment Weekly praised Sawai for evolving the role beyond its 1980 version, infusing it with "steely strength and spirited temper befitting a more modern audience." The Hollywood Reporter recognized her performance as a definitive career achievement, stating that "Sawai has been tip-toeing around full-fledged stardom for several years with supporting roles-... but this feels like her arrival. The actress inhabits Mariko so fully as a fragile, wavering soul and a stealthy badass."

For her role in Shōgun, Sawai achieved historical recognition in 2024 by winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This made her the first Japanese actress to win any Primetime Emmy Award, and the first actress of Asian descent to win in that specific Primetime Emmy category. In 2025, she further cemented her success by winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama for Shōgun, becoming the second Japanese actress to win for the role of Mariko, following Yoko Shimada's win in 1981 for the same character in the 1980 miniseries adaptation. Additionally, she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2025 for her work on Shōgun.

In February 2025, Variety magazine recognized Sawai's performance in Shōgun as one of the greatest television performances of the 21st century. She participated in a "big hit prayer event" for Shōgun at Zōjō-ji, a Tokugawa-affiliated temple in Tokyo.

4.1. Film

4.2. Television